Network Configuration Management Tool

What is network configuration management?

Network configuration management is the process of implementing, organizing, and maintaining critical network configurations throughout your IT infrastructure. Network configuration management can bring enhanced visibility into your config process, enabling you to gather metrics and understand device specifics. Analyzing network configuration metrics can help prevent issues such as faulty configuration changes.

A network configuration management tool can also enable you to maintain backups and execute triggered operations. Using a network configuration management solution also enables you to know when configurations failed or were completed.

Network configuration management is an essential aspect of overall infrastructure maintenance. Using network configuration management software, you can more easily discover your currently implemented network configs, compare them between devices or compare startup and running configurations, and easily identify missing or otherwise compromised network configs

Why is network configuration management important?

Network configuration management is critical to maintaining and understanding network configs, which are foundational for ensuring functionality across your network.

Network configuration management helps you monitor config changes, avoid bad config changes, and reinstate backups when necessary to help protect your IT infrastructure. If issues occur, it’s critical to be able to recover and implement backup configs you know work.

Misconfigurations can also interfere with business functionality. Faulty config updates can happen with manual configuration management and lead to errors compounded by a lack of overall visibility. If network devices have incorrect or old configurations, it can cause downtime or outages and leave end users waiting for a solution while unable to do their jobs effectively.

Network configuration management tools can help you compare configurations more easily and roll back to good configs. Instead of relying on manual processes, these tools can streamline repetitive, complex tasks, improving accuracy and helping save time, effort, and resources.

What is the purpose of network configuration management?

The purpose of network configuration management is to monitor and more easily implement changes throughout your IT infrastructure, allowing you to discover and address pressing config issues. When you optimize network configuration management strategies, you can more quickly and accurately implement needed changes across your IT environment.

There are several specific benefits network configuration management can provide, including:

• Keeping records of network devices and their configurations, properties, and performance
• Helping you understand when config changes have been made
• Backing up network configurations and speedily reinstating them in case of mismanagement
• Maintaining continuity and accuracy while you make changes

Automated network configuration management software is designed to reduce the time, resources, and energy you need to manage network device configurations at scale.

What are the key aspects of network configuration management?

The key aspects of network configuration management include:

Database activities: You’ll need to be able to maintain a database of devices and their passwords, keep it updated, and have a backup copy available.

Device activities: Similarly, a key aspect of management is to modify current configs for devices, including batch modifications. To do so, you’ll need to be able to also save current configurations and create backups of the information in case you need to revert to an earlier version.

To use software to manage devices, you’ll need to be able to effectively maintain a list of passwords, so you can easily batch log in to devices and batch change passwords as needed. You’ll also need to be able to ping devices as needed to test network operation.

Report activities: Another key aspect of network configuration management is reporting on devices. You need to be able to build reports about device configs, error counter information, MAC addresses, and more.

How often should I back up network configurations?

There is no set rule for how often you should back up your configurations. Some businesses back them up several times a day, which can help ensure the most up-to-date config information is stored—but for other businesses, once a week may be sufficient. Consider using a backup schedule to capture and save backups as often as config changes or other updates are made.

Frequently generating backup network configurations enables you to have access to the most recent config files if an emergency or error requires you to revert to a former configuration. With a backup already in place, you can avoid having to rush and rewrite a bunch of code, which can yield errors.

How does network configuration management work in Kiwi CatTools?

SolarWinds Kiwi CatTools is designed to provide simplicity and reliability when backing up configs from network devices. As an automated network configuration management tool, you can use Kiwi CatTools to schedule automated backups of network and device configurations. You can schedule backup activity for custom time intervals.

The Kiwi CatTools solution can also enable you to schedule config changes more easily across multiple network devices, which can allow you to implement configuration modifications more consistently throughout your IT environment and better manage configuration backups. Consistent config backups and implementations are key aspects of effective network configuration management.